NC Gov. Josh Stein signs order to protect reproductive rights, abortions

North Carolina Democratic Gov. Josh Stein signed an executive order aimed at protecting reproductive health care in the state, ensuring access to abortion services for residents and people from surrounding states. The order, signed Thursday, Jan. 16, prevents state agencies from participating in legal actions against healthcare providers who offer abortions or other reproductive health services.

In addition, the executive order protects the privacy of medical records, including those of women seeking care and doctors providing it.

“Whether they are storing them safely and whether we even need to retain them in the first place,” Stein said, addressing the importance of safeguarding personal health information under the order.

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The executive order is part of Stein’s broader commitment to reproductive freedom in North Carolina. The state remains one of the few states in the region not restricting abortion access to six weeks of pregnancy.

Current state law allows abortions up to 12 weeks, with exceptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies.

Stein has tasked the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services with providing education to women about their reproductive rights. That also includes access to safe, legal health care and birth control.

“Take appropriate and feasible measures to ensure that women here in North Carolina have reliable access to safe, legal reproductive health care medications and birth control,” Stein told the department.

In response to concerns over reproductive rights, Stein joins a growing number of Democratic governors who are safeguarding abortion access in their states. Governors in New Jersey and Oregon have already begun stockpiling abortion pills, citing concerns over potential changes under a new presidential administration.

Stein’s action also comes ahead of a second term for President-elect Donald Trump. Trump has previously stated that abortion policy should be left to the states, rather than imposing a national ban.

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The executive order reflects North Carolina’s continued role as an access point for reproductive health care, both for its residents and those from states with more restrictive laws.